Krampus

Art by: Chuchuana

He goes by many names.

Krampus

Loki

Yuletide Lord

Lycaon

And many more.

Born in the turning of seasons, this dragon manifested powers beyond the imagining of others around him. Seen as a threat he was cast out by the villagers as a young hatchling in hopes that he would perish in the wilds. As opposed to the hopes of the villagers, he found home in the uninhabited lands, becoming one with it and honing his abilities.

Tales began to creep from tongue to tongue about a dragon that roams the lands with magical abilities born from evil that would steal hatchlings, drawn to them by their misdeeds, only to torture the young dragons and feast on their flesh.

Krampus is the monster of every hatchlings nightmares.

Tales told of a dragon with a mischievous soul who loved to play tricks on others for his own amusement, finding pleasure in the confusion, chaos and mayhem he causes.

Loki is the trickster that is the cause of many ordeals, from small tricks and blunders, to larger catastrophes.

Tales of a deity that brings forth the death and life of the lands around him circulated and festivals were held on a particular month for a period of days to celebrate this particular deity in hopes that they would be blessed with healthy crops, good weather, and happy huntings.

Yuletide Lord is the god of the Wild Hunt, the rebirth of the sun, and the warming of the lands to give way to new life and land.

Tales spoke of the moon, hung high in the sky and shining as bright as the sun, and a wolf-like dragon prowling in the dark. Appearing rarely throughout the year, he is known for his ruthless behavior and bloodthirsty mind set. When the moon was full and shone like a gem, dragons were advised to remain within their territories for their safety.

Lycaon is the warrior and vengeance seeker, war brewing in his veins.

Krampus is a calm individual who seeks to maintain a peaceful and undisturbed life, mostly away from others. He enjoys the noises of the howling lands and chittering creatures about, but finds large placed societies sickeningly loud and disruptive. He finds the tales about him amusing and acts accordingly in front of others on certain occasions in order to entertain himself. He has few friends, one of them being a small mischievous fox fae that he runs into often in the forests. The two speak freely with each other, and the little fae boasts about his tricks to him, amusing him greatly. He is cunning, vengeful, kind, calm and pragmatic.

He has two forms which include his usual form, and the Lycaon form found below, which comes forth when the moon is full and high in the sky.


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Story by: Galatheid

They told me I came from the unknowns, and now they want me back there, Krampus thought as he stared up into the cold, unforgiving eyes of the dragons who had taken him in, who had betrayed him because he could not be controlled. “Never come back, or we will kill you,” one of them said softly, every word bladed. I could kill you and you wouldn’t even know before you were dead, Krampus thought, even as he flinched from the pain of unwantedness.

His abilities replied to his sorrow, and the earth around him withered and died, black as ash. The villagers did not attempt to hide their disgust and fear. They were about to abandon him, after all the memories they had shared . . .

The dragons he had once known fell upon him like wild hyenas and dragged him outside, into the coldness of the night air. He could have escaped, but still, he didn’t want to hurt any of them. They had kept him safe for seven years, and despite the recent turn of events, it was a debt that he owed. And they did think of me as family; many of us were close, he mused sorrowfully. But they hated my powers more than they loved me.

Far away from the glittering lights, the villagers threw Krampus down, and he was winded for a moment. He stared back at their eyes - he could see pity, but that couldn’t save him now - and he croaked, “So you took me here to die.” There was no reply as the dragons turned and walked away. Perhaps they did believe he would be at the mercy of the wilderness.

What did you expect? Krampus asked himself bitterly. You saw the horror in their eyes the first time your powers were revealed. He stood up; the pain in his ribs had faded. If he didn't want to starve to death, he had work to do.


So much of his childhood had been forgotten, but not that night. Krampus reflected on his last words to villagers, and smiled; in spite of the pain of betrayal, he had lived. The wild had had mercy. The villagers must have known he still lurked in the woods where they had left him; Krampus often heard far-fetched but amusing tales about him from the dazzled wanderers that passed by.

He hid on a tree now as the traveler slipped by beneath him, and tilted his head across the woodland path at the small fox fae he had befriended in his exile. And then he peered down between the branches with a smile and waited for the traveler to blunder into his playful tricks. He might as well play the part.